Sky Works HD Magic for ‘Free’ SoHo Premiere

My Sky HDi/+ subscribers will be able to preview free-of-charge in HD the new SoHo drama, Magic City, up to two weeks ahead of its satellite TV premiere.

Unlike Game of Thrones’ season two preview, which was limited to SD on iSky, the first episode of Magic City also will be available through Sky’s On Demand service in what is a first for the satcaster.

Magic City's Jeffrey Dean Donovan

“After reviewing the success of Game of Thrones on iSky and wishing to preview more of SoHo’s exciting new line-up of new shows, we investigated the technical possibilities of also including a video on demand preview on My Sky,” Sky’s director of entertainment, Travis Dunbar, says.

“This is something that is done successfully in other markets, for example, Australia, but is a first for Sky.

“We haven’t trialled it before but we certainly intend on doing more of it for a variety of key series across our channels.”

The iSky streaming will be in SD only whereas the On Demand presentation will be in HD.

Both services will go live with the programme from May 1-13 and while free to view, depending on your ISP, there may be iSky data charges

About a Miami Beach hotelier deep in debt to the Mob on the eve of JFK’s election, Magic City conjured up mixed reviews when it went to air in the US earlier this month.

“After an episode or two, when you sort out the characters and how their lives bang together in the dark, elegant shadows of late-1950s Miami Beach, you’ll find rich drama, well written and beautifully styled,” said the New York Daily News.

But TV Guide argued “the writing telegraphs every trite and derivative twist” while New York magazine dubbed it “enervating and undeservedly full of itself”.

In the middle of the pack was USA Today’s conclusion: “It may be possible that, after The Sopranos, the Godfather films and the collected works of Martin Scorsese, there is still more to say about mobsters.

“But nothing in Magic City would lead you to believe that’s true. Looks good, though. If only that were magic enough.”